Farmers harvesting corn later than usual

Some Somerset County farmers may be up to their ears in field corn because of late planting and unreasonable weather.

Miguel Saviroff, Penn State Cooperative Extension educator, said because of the weather and the cost of drying, many farmers have yet to harvest the corn, which is used as feed for livestock.

“We had a rainy production season. There was a two to four week delay in planting — usually corn is planted in late May or beginning of June. Due to rain most farmers could not enter wet fields until late June,” he said. “Corn is taking its time to reach the right maturity.”

It generally takes 100 days to harvest corn from the time it is first planted.

Late planting ultimately means a late harvest. Saviroff said many farmers are also waiting for grain moisture to come down.

Farmers do not have to pay to dry the corn if there is less moisture on the corn.

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“The cost of propane and natural gas has increased and some farmers are letting the corn dry as long as they can to minimize drying costs,” Saviroff said.

Limited sunny days during the summer and plenty of rain in October also affected the corn’s growth.

“Cool weather in the growing season deprived corn from the necessary heat units of sunny and hot days and thanks to a delayed last frost, corn has had more time to mature,” he said.

Harvesting could be affect if mold develops in the corn and produces toxins.

“There’s a higher risk that the corn will get mold and lower the quality of the grain,” he said.

Saviroff said the main purpose of planting corn in Somerset County is to feed animals.

Many farmers have already harvest their corn for silage, but not the corn for grains, he said.

“The ones that planted for grain are the ones that might have the problems,” he said.